CHECK
OUT
THE
BOD
ON
THAT
ONE
. . .
The form of the GW is
evolution at its best. Nearly every aspect of its physical makeup from
the conical snout to the large, nearly symmetrical tail fin
contributes to its efficiency as a hunter. As one of the Earth's
oldest species, sharks represent millions of years of Mother Nature's
poking and prodding - and judging from the GW, Mother Nature certainly
seems to have a mean streak!
"OH
THE
SHARK
HAS
PRETTY
TEETH,
DEAR
. . ."
Much has been made of the infamous
jaws
of the GW and rightly so. Each upper tooth is a marvel of compact
engineering with hundreds of tiny serrations. This coupled with their enormous
jaw strength enables the GW to cut through just about anything they feel needs
cutting. The bottom
teeth are not as large but serve the purpose of skewering the shark's prey, holding it in
place for the upper teeth to do their work - which is to remove as much
flesh from the shark's prey as possible!
|
|
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Open wide! |
THE
FINCTION
OF
THE
FUNS
Although the jaws and teeth
of the GW are the first things most people think of when picturing the
shark, the fins come in a close second. Who can forget the image of a
sharp fin slicing the surface of the water? A quick rundown of the major
fins and their proper names:
|
1.
Dorsal fin |
|
| 2.
Pectoral fins |
| 3.
Caudal fin |
It has been said that sharks
don't swim through the water as much as they "fly" through it.
The fins serve important roles in this action. As the shark moves the
caudal fin to propel it forward, careful adjustment of the pectoral and
dorsal fins keeps the shark level and on course, much as the wings and
tail of an airplane do.
In addition to the major
fins pictured above, the GW has a smaller dorsal fin located closer to
the caudal fin, a small pair of pelvic fins (visible in the photo at the
top of this page), and a tiny anal fin just in front of the caudal fin.
These minor fins help improve the way water flows over the shark as it
swims.
